In Search of Running Rein

Tony Byles

Description

The Epsom Derby, established back in 1780 for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, is today considered to be the most prestigious of the five Classics of the racing calendar, but there was nothing noble about the notorious Derby held in 1844. Marred by horse switching allegations, false age declarations, devious ownership transferrals and nobbling, it was set to become the most scandalous event in the history of the Turf. Drawing on a wide range of publications, newspaper articles, Jockey Club inquiry documentation and court evidence records, this book traces the web of deceit surrounding the original but subsequently disqualified 1844 Derby winner, Running Rein, and the audacious plan orchestrated by a certain Abraham Levi Goodman to ensure, by any underhand means at his disposal, that the Derby victory would be his, not for the glory of winning but as a monstrous betting coup. Twists and turns abound in the claims, counter-claims and conflicting witness statements when the case goes to trial, as attempts are made to determine the age and identity of the horse purported to be Running Rein, and this intriguing story provides a fascinating insight into the world of horse racing and betting, where the stakes are high and the unscrupulous are prepared to do anything to protect their own interests, with little regard for the impact of their actions on the reputation of the sport.

Sujets

• Reino Unido
• Horse racing
• United Kingdom
• Great Britain
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 07 avril 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781907792939
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page

IN SEARCH
OF
RUNNING REIN
The Amazing Fraud of the 1844 Derby


Tony Byles
Foreword by Tony Morris




Publisher Information

APEX PUBLISHING LTD
Hardback first published in 2011 by
Apex Publishing Ltd
PO Box 7086,
Clacton on Sea, Essex,
CO15 5WN, England
www.apexpublishing.co.uk

Digital Edition converted and published by
Andrews UK Limited 2011
www.andrewsuk.com

Copyright © 2011 by Tony Byles The author has asserted his moral rights

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition, that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form. Or by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.

Production Manager: Chris Cowlin
Cover Design: Siobhan Smith

very attempt has been made to contact the relevant copyright holders, Apex Publishing Ltd would be grateful if the appropriate people contact us at: [e-mail]




Preface


This book would never have been written had it not been for my daughter, Georgina. Her love of the horse had taken her to a job in the marketing department at Newmarket racecourse. It had little involvement with the horse, other than enabling her to go racing frequently at what I consider to be the best racecourse in the world.
Bereft of office space for redundant files, she had sought the possibility of storage in an outhouse at Westfield House. The outhouse was cluttered with boxes of files, folders, old books, letters, and even pictures. As she began organising space, her task was overcome by the fascination of scrutinising this Aladdin’s Cave of old racing documents: racing calendars, stud books and racecards. But the jewel in the crown was none of these – it was a brown manila envelope.
Perusing the faded pages, she was overcome with a trembling excitement: they were letters and case notes relating to the 1844 Derby – the most infamous scandal in the annals of the Turf. It was an incredible find: there were letters from Lord George Bentinck, Colonel Peel, Earl Spencer, Lord Stradbroke and others. How could anyone with knowledge of the subject be so fortunate to stumble on such a find? Had she been unaware – which she may well have been had it not been one of her childhood stories – these documents could have been lost forever.
Her excitement at finding these most valuable documents was met, according to her, with the most surprising apathy. No one seemed to have the vaguest idea what she was talking about, despite vigorously drawing their attention to her copy of Derby
200 . This was not surprising; few involved in the running of racing have, or would be expected to have, knowledge of its history. But this did not suppress her frustration.
These precious documents were handed over to Peter Amos at Jockey Club Estates, who, after I had expressed my interest, granted my access to them. The main document was not exactly related to the famous Trial, more so to witness statements as to how the Jockey Club could pursue those that had perjured themselves at the Trial. Even so, this document made fascinating reading, containing information that had certainly never been published before. There were references to other case notes – but where were they to be found? They certainly were not at Westfield House, despite Gina making a thorough search.
After a few calls to Weatherbys it appeared that my enquiries were coming to a dead end, but the helpful staff eventually put me in touch with an employee who was familiar with Running Rein: Adrian McGlynn. He invited me to their offices and produced letters and a fairly detailed 50page document of case notes. These must have been those referred to in the notes that Gina had discovered at Westfield House.
I was now beginning to get excited – it was time to go in search of Running Rein.
I could not have imagined, when starting out, what a fascinating, and sometimes very moving, journey this would become. The quest took me over the length of the country: to the capital; to Newmarket and Epsom; to the almost unknown villages of Denton, and Norton in North Yorkshire; even to Poland, in an attempt to discover something of Zanoni – the name finally assumed by Maccabeus, who had impersonated the genuine Running Rein.
One of the most satisfying discoveries was the location of Dr Cobb’s home, Sutton House, where the genuine Running Rein was bred.
Investigations with local authorities and archives were leading nowhere. There was a Sutton Grange but no Sutton House. Then a breakthrough came when I discovered an ‘Old Map’. There was Sutton Grange – and, directly south of it, Sutton House.
The owner of the property was adamant that I had the wrong place: “This is Sutton Farm, not Sutton House.” He was a rare product: an Irishman with not the vaguest interest in the horse. When I showed him the ‘Old Map’ he was convinced, although surprised, but he remained unimpressed with his property’s connection with this remarkable incident in Turf history.
Many days were spent at the Newspaper Library at Colindale; leaving at six in the morning, in order to get in a full day’s work, and then the threehour drive back. It was frustrating, poring over the difficulttoread microfilm. Bell’ s Life, at times, was a nightmare. But it was very rewarding to come across an interesting letter here, a snippet of information there.
I have mentioned that the journey was very moving. For a lover of the thoroughbred racehorse this is probably not difficult to understand. Standing on the hallowed ground of Langton Wold, where John Scott was reputed to have said he would rather be hanged than feasted at Newmarket; in the stable at Sutton House, where Mab would have thrown her colt foal, by The Saddler, the genuine Running Rein; at the Old Lodge, in Malton, where Gladiator started his career as a stallion: the ghosts from the pages of our story go rolling by.
And it is for this reason that it has been such a privilege to write this book: a privilege to meet so many kind people, some of whom have become good friends and who have been prepared to give their time in its preparation, which has taken around eight years to complete. I am not a professional writer; had I been so, it would have taken a fraction of this time. On occasions I sat for a whole evening, sometimes several evenings, unable even to produce a single sentence. But, disadvantaged as I may have been, I was never deterred from completing the course.
The task is now complete. This, then, dear reader, to the best of my knowledge, is the complete story of the most amazing incident in the history of the greatest game on Earth.


Acknowledgements

Many kind people have helped me in the preparation of this book, and I owe them my grateful thanks. It is difficult to know where to start, but I suppose it should be with my daughter, Gina. I can still recall her excitement when she called to tell me of her find. Thanks, Gina, and for your veterinary knowledge of physic, teeth and bones. To Peter Amos, at Jockey Club Estates, who kindly gave me access to the case notes and letters, and the facilities to copy them, and his successor, William Gittus, who granted permission to use these notes. Likewise to Adrian McGlynn, at Weatherbys, who provided the bulk of the case notes dealing with the Trial, and again, facilities to copy them and also permission to use them and the extract from the Racing Calendar: ‘Rule Relating to the Examination of the Age of Young Horses’.
Thanks also to Charles Wyville, a descendant of Sir Charles Ibbetson, who invited me to his home, Constable Burton Hall, and provided an essay on ‘The Ibbetsons of Leeds and Denton’; and to Professor R.G. Wilson of the University of East Anglia for permission to make use of it. To the county archivists who answered my many questions, who are too numerous to mention individually, but I would single out Llinos Thomas, Allison Kenney and Hilary Davies at Westminster Archives, Bev Shew and Justine Pearson at Surrey History Centre, Jane Stafford at Bury St Edmunds Record Office, and Crispin Powell and Patricia Collins at Northamptonshire Archives. Thanks to you all.
A special thanks to Vic Maloney, who kindly showed me round Sutton House and allowed me to take photographs of this extraordinary building, which, as you will see, is mainly a barn, with the house tacked on the end. Thanks, Vic this was a special day for me.
To Victor Tunkel of the Selden Society for explaining the legal jargon from the preliminary hearings at the Court of Common Pleas and Court of Exchequer. This was all very confusing to me. Thanks for improving my knowledge of nineteenthcentury legalese.
In Search of Running Rein would not be complete without making some attempt to discover something of Zanoni’s career as a stallion. Early on in my research I wrote to the Russian Jockey Club – twice, in fact, in case my letter had gone astray – but no reply. Then suddenly, out of the blue, about two years later, I received an email from Dr Jacek Lojek, Head of the Horse Breeding Department, Faculty of Animal Science, at Warsaw Agricultural University, and a senior steward at the Polish Jockey Club. My letter had eventually filtered through to him.
Jacek invited me to Poland an